Feeling Alive
by koldatherine
Summary: Elena chose Damon and Stefan leaves Mystic Falls. He runs into a familiar face, but he doesn't know the person. It is Tatia, the original Petrova.


**I had this idea and just had to write this down. Hope you like it.**

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**Feeling Alive**

Elena had chosen Damon and Stefan did as he promised his brother. He left Mystic Falls. He had hoped that it would hurt less if he didn't see his brother and former girlfriend being happy together. How wrong he was. It hurt, but he knew that it had been the right choice to let Elena go.

So, there he was in some town, trying not to think about Elena. He was walking through the local park as he saw the most impossible thing. There was a young girl who looked exactly like Elena and Katherine. Stefan was sure that he was cursed. How could it be that after he leaves Mystic Falls the first thing he runs into is another doppelganger?

The girl had long, brown, curly hair. She wore a white knee length dress under a black leather jacket and a pair of flat, black laced boots. A brown leather bag was slung over her shoulder and around her neck she wore several necklaces. She was looking at her cell phone while she walked towards Stefan, not realizing that there was someone in front of her. Stefan was to surprised by the fact that he had found another doppelganger that he couldn't move. The result was that the girl ran straight into Stefan.

Her phone fell to the ground, but before the girl could fall on the ground too Stefan grabbed her hand. As their skin touched Stefan felt warmth spread through him. He looked the girl in the eyes. In them he didn't saw Elena's compassion or Katherine's cruelty. There was something old and wise in them. Her eyes seemed like they were older than the obviously 18-year-old girl that stood in front of me.

"Vampire," The girl whispered with a British accent.

"Excuse me," Stefan asked. He had heard her, but he couldn't believe that she knew what he was after only seconds.

The girl rolled her eyes and removed her hand from his, "Don't play stupid. I know that you are a vampire," She searched for her found and found it broken on the floor, "You own me a new phone."

She turned around and walked away. Stefan followed her. He wanted to know how she knew that he was a vampire.

"Wait. How did you know what I am?" Stefan asked her.

She stopped, turned around and spat, "I am a witch. As you touched my skin I could feel it. Happy now?"

She continued walking away from Stefan, hoping that he would leave her alone now.

"How can you be a witch?" Stefan was confused. Neither Elena nor Katherine had been witches, so why was this doppelganger one.

"My mother was one and so were all my other ancestors," The girl stopped once again as she realized something, "You know about the doppelgangers."

"What?" The girl was confusing Stefan more and more.

The girl faced Stefan and checked him over, while she murmured, "No blue eyes, but great hair. So not Damon," She started to speak louder, "You must be Stefan."

"How…?" Stefan started, but the girl stopped him.

"I met Katherine. She told me all about you and your brother. She even once rambled about Elena, the latest doppelganger," The girl explained.

"Wait, latest doppelganger? I thought that you…" Once again she interrupted him.

"I am not a doppelganger," She laughed and continued walking. This time she wanted him to follow her and Stefan did that. For a while they walked next to each other in silence. Stefan was thinking about what the girl had said. How could she not be a doppelganger?

"Still trying to find out how I can't be a doppelganger? How about I give you a clue?" The girl asked him smirking. In that moment she looked so much like Katherine.

"My name is Tatia," Stefan stopped walking as he heard her name.

"That's impossible," He said.

Stefan remembered the dinner he and Damon had had with Klaus and Elijah. They had told them about Tatja, the original Petrova. Tatia had lived a thousand years ago. How could she be still alive now? Did the Originals knew that she was still alive?

Tatia stopped and turned to Stefan. She laughed as she saw Stefan's expression.

"Yes, I am the original Petrova and no, no one knows that I am still alive. If you dare to tell anyone about me then I am going to end you," The last part was a threat. Tatia didn't want them to know about her existence.

"I… How can you still be alive?" Stefan asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Tatia crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Because…" He didn't find a reason.

The girl let a laugh out, "I can tell you. I could make you forget it anyway if I wanted to. I hope you know how the vampire race was created or other wise this would take a lot more time."

Stefan nodded. He remembered the story Elijah had told him. Esther had used Tatia's blood to create vampires.

"Well, Esther used my blood. It had a little consequence. I do believe it has something to do with the fact that I am a witch. Somehow I was linked to them. They die I die. Doesn't work the other way. I already tried it. Every time I die I come back to life and I don't age. I am still human and still have my powers. I am just immortal," Tatia explained.

"Why don't you want the Originals to know?" Stefan asked cautious. While Tatia's explanation he had gotten the feeling that she was sad.

"There are so many reasons. One would be that I would have to choose between Elijah and Klaus. I did make a choice. I just don't think I could hurt the other one. They are brothers I never wanted to be the reason they fought. Another one would be what would I tell them? Rebekah was my best friend. She would be so hurt if she knew that I had been alive all these years. Someone would snap my neck," Tatia told him.

"Your afraid of their reaction," Stefan said understandingly. Tatia nodded.

She continued to walk again. She seemed sad. Stefan believed that she did miss the Originals, but she was too afraid of their reaction.

"I have a question, Stefan. Last time I spoke with Katherine, she told me you were in Mystic Falls with Elena. Why are you here now?" The witch asked.

Stefan wasn't sure if he should tell her, but then again she had told him about her, "Elena and I broke up. After she was turned her feelings for Damon grew stronger. She chose him and I promised my brother to leave town if she did."

Tatia laughed, something Stefan realized she did a lot, "So, she did make a choice. I heard that making choices is a very hard thing for my doppelgangers. Funny, I chose none, Katherine chose both and Elena chose one. Three women wearing the same face always bound to chose between to brothers. Maybe my doppelgangers are truly cursed."

Tatia once again started walking. As she realized that Stefan wasn't following her, she turned around, "Are you coming? I don't believe that you have a place to stay, so you can stay at my place."

Once again Tatia surprised Stefan. Laughing she continued walking with Stefan following her.

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In the following weeks Stefan and Tatia became close friends. She told him about her past. How she had married a man, gotten pregnant and how he had died. It had been a loveless marriage. The moment her husband had died every men in the village had started to pursued her, but only Elijah and Klaus managed it in her heart. Tatia and Elijah had been friends before she had fallen for him. He apparently had always been in love with her. Slowly she started to fall for him. The only thing that happened between them was a kiss once. Tatia and Klaus' beginning had been tough. Klaus had hated Tatia with a passion. They had been fighting constantly. Everything changed between them as Tatia's daughter went missing. Klaus had comforted her. For Stefan it was obvious who she loved more, although she never said it. It was Klaus.

She spoke of her past and in return Stefan spoke of his. Not once Tatia judged him. She was very understanding. In their time together Stefan also realized how much different she was from her doppelgangers. There were some traits the three women shared, like their stubbornness. Tatia loved to laugh and giggle. She had this loud laugh, which made you want to laugh with her. It was a real laugh. She had a smile for everyone. It wasn't surprising that Klaus and Elijah had fallen for this girl. He discovered that she hummed while reading in her grimoires. She loved her magic and strongly believed that witches always need to stay in balance with nature. It was what gave them power. That was the reason he often caught her running around barefoot through the forest or running through the rain in nothing but her dress. It reminded him of a little child. Tatia loved life. She wasn't a sad young girl like Elena had been as they had met neither was she manipulative as Katherine was.

Every time she smiled or he heard her humming it warmed his heart. He fought the thought that he was falling for Tatia. He refused to believe that he once again would fall for the same face.

At the moment they were sitting in Tatia's kitchen. Tatia was studying something in her grimoire while humming a, for Stefan unknown, song. Stefan sat there with a glass of blood in front of him, watching the witch. A curl fell into her face and before Stefan could stop himself, he found himself brushing it behind her ear. Tatia stopped humming, lifted her head and stared at Stefan. His finger still was on her cheek. Their eyes locked. A smile crept on Tatia's face. She took his hand from her cheek and pulled him with her. Stefan had no idea what the witch was doing.

"We have to go outside. It is raining," Tatia said in excitement. Her eyes sparkled in glee as she pulled Stefan outside in the storming rain.

She let go of his hand, closed her eyes and danced in the rain. Stefan only stood there watching her with a smile on his face. Tatia stopped dancing, opened her eyes and looked at Stefan, moving closer to him.

"As a vampire you aren't allowed to feel nature like a witch can, but I want you too," Tatia said in a loud voice, so that she could be heard over the rain.

Tatia took his face between her hands and closed her eyes. Suddenly an intense feeling of warmth ran through Stefan. It was warming his heart. He felt alive. He closed his eyes and rested his fore head against Tatia's. Suddenly the feeling was gone, but he felt something else instead. As he opened his eyes he saw that Tatia's weren't close anymore. She was smiling at him. He placed his hands on her hips, giving in to the want to touch her.

"What are you doing to me, Tatia?" Stefan whispered.

He closed his eyes again as Tatia moved even closer. She brushed her nose against his, licking her lip. Because of their closeness Tatia's tongue touched Stefan's lips. The vampire let out a growl before he could stop himself. He heard Tatia giggle, her warm breath brushing over his lips. He wanted nothing more than to kiss the witch in front of him. Then Tatia's lips touched Stefan's softly. It was nothing more than a peck, but enough for Stefan to press her body against his so that there was no space between them. Tatia's hand grabbed his hair, wanting to deepen the kiss. Stefan's tongue brushed over her lip, asking for access, which she gave gladly. The passion grew between them and their tongues were fighting for dominance. Tatia ignored the fact that she started to freeze and that she had to breath again at one point. Stefan broke the kiss, remembering that Tatia was human. He saw that her lips were starting to turn blue.

"Lets get you inside, before you catch pneumonia," Stefan said and pecked her lips again.

After both had changed into dry clothes, Stefan found himself sitting on the couch with Tatia in his lap, kissing him. A blanket was over Tatia's shoulder keeping her warm. They hadn't spoken yet, but they knew that they had to. Both dreaded the talk they would need to have. Tatia didn't know if she was only a replacement for her doppelganger Elena and Stefan didn't know if Tatia still had feelings for Klaus.

Tatia pulled away, "Should we have that talk now or another time?"

"Now would be a better idea," Stefan sighed.

"Okay then. I'll start," Tatia bit her lips, thinking what she should say, "I know that you just recently broke up with Elena and that we have know each other only for a few weeks, but I kind of are in love with you."

The last part Tatia said quietly, the confidence had left her and she was blushing. She didn't look at Stefan. Stefan smiled, his hearth warming as she said that she is in love with him. He took her jaw in his finger, turned her face to him and gave her a kiss.

"I am in love with you too and I know it is early, but I feel alive with you, Tatia. Your smile warms my heart. I completely understand why a whole village was in love with you," Stefan said, making Tatia smile.

She kissed him again, loving the soft texture of his lips against her own. Tatia loved running her fingers through his light brown hair. Tatia had the feeling that this was the beginning of something good.

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**That was it. Tell me what you think and review.**


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